Miyuki Kazuya had already anticipated it.
The moment Sawamura Eijun released the pitch, Miyuki exploded into motion, sprinting toward the ball's landing point. He adjusted his position perfectly, ensuring that the instant the ball entered his glove, he could make a clean throw to third base.
"Smack!"
Without hesitation, Miyuki fired the ball to Masuko Toru at third.
Although Miyuki's throw wasn't quite as fast as Furuya Satoru's pitch, it wasn't far off either—sharp, fast, and precise.
But—
Kitamura Kou had already made his decision.
Seeing the speed of the incoming throw, he immediately committed to a slide.
"Smack!"
The ball and runner arrived almost simultaneously.
Kitamura twisted his body mid-slide, bending at an almost impossible angle to avoid Masuko's glove.
For a split second—
Everything froze.
Then the umpire's voice rang out:
"Safe!!!"
"Woah!!! That was insane!"
"Even without a pitcher-batter showdown, this is still incredible!"
"That throw was fast but he still made it?!"
"I'm sold. From today on, I'm a Yakushi fan!"
The stadium, which had been tense due to Seido's earlier decision, erupted once more.
"Damn it! That brat is way too cocky!"
"Miyuki! How long are you going to let him run wild?!"
Seido's supporters were furious.
Being walked was one thing but stealing all the way to third base like this?
That was pure provocation.
Even Todoroki Raizo lost his temper.
"Does that kid even understand the risks?! What if he gets hurt?!"
"Coach, you're being too loud," Nakanishi Daiki quickly warned. "Right now, Kou is just an ordinary center fielder."
The teammate beside him twitched.
Ordinary?
You call that speed and pressure… ordinary?
On the field, Kitamura calmly stood up, brushed off the dirt, and flashed Miyuki a bright smile.
That smile—
Almost made Miyuki snap.
This guy…
He forced himself to look away, calming his breathing.
Now wasn't the time to get emotional.
No outs. Runner on third.
Yakushi had a golden opportunity to widen the gap.
Miyuki crouched again, eyes sharp.
Focus on the batter.
"As long as we shut down the hitters behind him, it doesn't matter if he's on third."
He gave the sign.
Inside four-seam. Tight.
At the same time, he subtly signaled the infield to adjust their positioning.
Sawamura no longer looked at third base.
He gripped the ball, steadied himself, and threw.
"Swoosh!"
Yamauchi Yutaka swung immediately.
"Clang!"
Foul ball.
Then another.
And another.
Each time, the contact improved.
The ball edged closer and closer to fair territory.
Miyuki frowned slightly.
They're adjusting…
At this rate, it was only a matter of time before they broke through.
He glanced toward the dugout.
Coach Kataoka remained calm no signal, no change.
He was trusting them to handle it.
"Nice! You're catching up to it!"
"Send him home, Yamauchi!"
"Sawamura, don't hesitate!"
The cheers from both sides clashed in the air.
Yamauchi tightened his grip.
Bunt? No… too risky.
Just a clean hit… even a deep fly is enough.
Kitamura will score for sure.
Miyuki made his decision.
We can't rely only on inside pitches anymore.
He gave the next sign.
Low outside.
Even if it turned into a ball, it was fine—the count was still in their favor.
Sawamura nodded.
His rhythm had returned.
He threw.
"Swoosh!"
A borderline pitch—low and just off the outside corner.
Yamauchi had no choice.
He swung.
"Clang!"
The ball rolled weakly along the infield toward first base.
Exactly as planned.
Kitamura stayed at third.
No chance to run.
"Out!"
Yamauchi was retired cleanly.
Runner stranded.
The next batter, Fukuda Daiki, fared no better.
Sawamura, now regaining his momentum, shut him down as well.
Two outs.
Still no score.
Miyuki exhaled slowly.
The strategy had worked.
Walking Kitamura, containing the runners, forcing weak contact—
Everything was unfolding exactly as planned.
Just one more out.
If they could secure it, Sawamura would safely get through the inning.
And judging by his recovery…
Coach Kataoka might even let him continue pitching.